Many methods of tracking or recording information related to products have been devised. A common method of tracking products is accomplished by including an identification code, which may be stored for reference, on the product when the product is manufactured or shipped. Identification codes typically used on products include numeric, symbolic, and alphabetic codes. One such code is commonly known as a bar code.
Identification codes, such as bar codes, are typically associated with information such as the date of manufacture, the type, color, size, quality, etc. of the product. When shipping a product to a customer, often the sender keeps a record of the product shipped to the customer by recording or scanning the identification code of the product sent. Many devices or methods are generally known and available for recording or scanning the identification codes.
While identification codes included on products serve a useful purpose to the sender, such identification codes are not always useful to the recipient. Consequently, the recipient may prefer not to have the identification code displayed on the product after the recipient receives the product. Additionally, the room or space on the product being shipped may be used by the recipient for information useful to the user of the product. Including an identification code on a product reduces the space available for other information or distracts from the appearance of the product.
When products are shipped to recipients, often the product is shipped with some form of protective covering. This is especially true for products that have an adhesive backing that is designed to secure the product to another device. Products that have an adhesive backing, such as certain types of templates that are placed over keypads to identify certain functions of keys, are often shipped with a removable protective layer . Removing the protective layer from a template can be tedious. In order to peel the protective layer from the template, a person is required to pick or pull at the boundary or edge of the template or protective layer to get a grip on the protective layer.
Additionally, a keypad template often has functions specified that are unique to the keypad or terminal for which the keypad template is designed. Although keypads for use with credit card terminals are often the same in physical structure, various keypads are programmed differently. Consequently, a keypad template may fit on a particular keypad although the keypad template is not designed for use with the particular keypad. When a person receives a template with certain functions designated on the keypad template, the person may not know if the keypad template with the specified functions is for the keypad upon which the person is planning to place the keypad template. If the user places the keypad template on the incorrect keypad, when the user presses a key with a certain function specified on the template, the keypad or terminal is not likely to produce the response intended by the user.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a system for including an identification code on a product without reducing the space for other useful information yet provides a tracking mechanism for the product. Additionally, there is a need in the art for a system that helps to ensure that keypad templates are placed on the correct keypad.